Estrada Pleads Not Guilty to Impeachment Charges
December 2, 2000 - 0:0
MANILA -- Philippine President Joseph Estrada on Friday pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery and corruption and asked the Senate tribunal to acquit him in an impeachment trial scheduled to start next week.
In a 16-page plea submitted by his lawyers, Estrada noted that there was not enough evidence to convict him on charges of bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust and violations of the Constitution.
The trial -- the first to be conducted in the Philippines -- is slated to start on December 7. The Senate hopes to finish the hearings within the month, but some legislators expressed fears the proceedings can last until next January.
"The accused respectfully prays that a plea of not guilty be entered for him in the records of this case and thereafter, after due proceedings, a judgment of acquittal be rendered," the plea said.
The plea denied point by point the four articles of impeachment and stressed that Estrada "has been faithful to his oath of office".
Prosecutors, who were given five days to file a counter-affidavit, submitted several motions to the Senate seeking permission to look at the five houses alleged to have been illegally acquired by the president.
The 11-member prosecution panel also sought the issuance of a subpoena against the president's eldest son, Jinggoy Estrada, as an "adverse/hostile witness".
They plan to call him on the witness stand on December 7 or 8.
Estrada, the first Asian leader to be impeached, was unfazed by the prosecutors' move. He earlier appealed that his family, including seven mistresses and his children with them, be spared from the scandal.
Estrada's impeachment stemmed from an accusation by an estranged friend that he collected more than 8 million dollars in illegal gambling payoffs and pocketed 2.6 million dollars in kickbacks from tobacco taxes.
The accusations have triggered mounting calls from various sectors, including the powerful Catholic Church and several business groups, for Estrada to resign.
On Wednesday and Thursday, thousands of people jammed Manila's main streets to seek Estrada's ouster. The demonstrators vowed to launch more "paralyzing" protests, including acts of civil disobedience, until the president steps down.
(DPA)
In a 16-page plea submitted by his lawyers, Estrada noted that there was not enough evidence to convict him on charges of bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust and violations of the Constitution.
The trial -- the first to be conducted in the Philippines -- is slated to start on December 7. The Senate hopes to finish the hearings within the month, but some legislators expressed fears the proceedings can last until next January.
"The accused respectfully prays that a plea of not guilty be entered for him in the records of this case and thereafter, after due proceedings, a judgment of acquittal be rendered," the plea said.
The plea denied point by point the four articles of impeachment and stressed that Estrada "has been faithful to his oath of office".
Prosecutors, who were given five days to file a counter-affidavit, submitted several motions to the Senate seeking permission to look at the five houses alleged to have been illegally acquired by the president.
The 11-member prosecution panel also sought the issuance of a subpoena against the president's eldest son, Jinggoy Estrada, as an "adverse/hostile witness".
They plan to call him on the witness stand on December 7 or 8.
Estrada, the first Asian leader to be impeached, was unfazed by the prosecutors' move. He earlier appealed that his family, including seven mistresses and his children with them, be spared from the scandal.
Estrada's impeachment stemmed from an accusation by an estranged friend that he collected more than 8 million dollars in illegal gambling payoffs and pocketed 2.6 million dollars in kickbacks from tobacco taxes.
The accusations have triggered mounting calls from various sectors, including the powerful Catholic Church and several business groups, for Estrada to resign.
On Wednesday and Thursday, thousands of people jammed Manila's main streets to seek Estrada's ouster. The demonstrators vowed to launch more "paralyzing" protests, including acts of civil disobedience, until the president steps down.
(DPA)